*Trump Claims Parliamentary Speaker Okays Passage Of 20 US-Allied Ships Through Hormuz Strait
*Move May Lower Fuel Prices In Nigeria, Others
*Insists New Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei Either Dead Or Badly Injured
The tough-talking top Iranian official who publicly declared on Saturday that his country’s troops will ”set on fire” American ground soldiers should they venture into the Persian Gulf nation, has allegedly granted permission to oil tankers of a major ally of the US to ply the Strait of Hormuz, closed to US/Israeli ships and those of their allies.
US President Donald Trump, who disclosed this to the influential Financial Times (FT) in an exclusive interview yesterday, said no less than 10 Pakistani-flagged ships, rising presently to 20, had been okayed by Iranian Parliamentary Speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, to ferry crude across the vital strait through which at least a fifth of global oil shipping passes through.
Iran’s chokehold on the strait has sparked a jump in global oil prices and negatively impacted many economies, including Nigeria’s where,in some parts of the country, a litre of petrol now costs about N1,500, igniting uncomfortable jerk-ups in a nation already battling a massive cost of living crisis even before the war broke out on 28 February, 2026.
It is believed that letting more vessels move through the strait could lead to a slash in fuel prices globally.
Trump told FT that as a “present” to Washington, Tehran had allowed more tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
According to the US leader, the number had increased from 10 to 20, although FT said this could not be independently verified.
“They gave us 10. Now they’re giving 20, and the 20 have already started, and they’re going right up the middle of the Strait,” he said.
Trump further claimed that Ghalibaf, who, according to US media reports, was the president’s choice for the next Supreme Leader, had authorised the additional shipments.
“He’s the one who authorised the ships to me,” Trump said.
‘Regime Change’
Trump further claimed that Tehran was witnessing a “regime change” following the killing of long-time Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other senior officials in early strikes.
“The people we’re dealing with are a totally different group of people . . . [They] are very professional,” he said.
Mojtaba Khamenei Either Dead Or Badly Injured, He Claims
He also reiterated his claim that the new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the killed senior Khamenei, may be dead or seriously injured.
“The son is either dead or in extremely bad shape,” Trump said. “We’ve not heard from him at all. He’s gone.”
But, Tehran has maintained that the country’s leadership remained intact, insisting that Mojtaba Khamenei was safe despite his continued absence from public view.
Iran Has No More Defences, We’ll Take Oil Hub Very Easily -Trump
In the interview too, Trump indicated that America could “take the oil in Iran” and seize the Kharg Island– Tehran’s main oil export hub– as war in the Middle East continued into its fifth week.
The American Commander-in-Chief said his “preference would be to take the oil”, comparing the US military operation in Iran with those in Venezuela earlier this year, where Washington gained control of the oil industry following the capture of the Latin American nation’s leader, Nicolas Maduro.
The Kharg Oil Threat
“To be honest with you, my favourite thing is to take the oil in Iran, but some stupid people back in the US say, ‘Why are you doing that?’ But they’re stupid people,” Trump told the FT.
He suggested the move could mean taking Kharg Island.
“Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t. We have a lot of options…It would also mean we had to be there [in Kharg Island] for a while,” he said.
The US leader’s remarks came as the conflict spilt across the Gulf nations, raising the risk of attacks on energy infrastructure and sending crude oil prices soaring.
They also came after a Washington Post report claimed that the Pentagon was preparing for weeks of potential ground conflict by sending around 10,000 troops to Iran.
Around 3,500 personnel, including 2,200 Marines, reached there last week, and 2,200 Marines, along with thousands more from the 82nd Airborne Division, are on the way.
But experts have warned that any ground operation on Iran’s export hub could leave US troops in great peril and prolong rather than shorten the war.
Kharg sits 16 miles (26 km) from Iran’s coast in the northern end of the Gulf, about 300 miles (483 km) northwest of the Strait of Hormuz.
The island handles 90 per cent of Iran’s oil exports, and seizing it would give the US the ability to severely disrupt Iran’s energy trade, placing enormous pressure on Tehran’s economy.
But experts have warned that Tehran could opt to lay mines to target shipping, including floating mines deployed from the coast, which would make the region even more hazardous for shipping, which has already been significantly disrupted by the conflict.
Asked about potential risks, Trump told the publication, “I don’t think they have any defence. We could take it very easily.”
*PHOTO CAPTION: Trump.
